the.com/reproach

means To express blame or disapproval, usually because someone fell short of what you expected of them — a rebuke aimed at the conscience more than the ego.

from From French reprochier, which traces back to Latin roots suggesting a sense of bringing something 'near' or 'close' — the idea of holding a fault right up against someone so they can't look away from it. Some trace it further to a notion of 'closeness' or 'proximity,' as if blame is a thing pressed close to the body. The exact root is debated, but the throughline is clear: reproach has always been about closing distance between a person and their failure.